RivCo Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Program Gets Boost From Supes

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County supervisors Tuesday approved the Riverside University Health System's receipt and use of $956,000 in federal grants to implement and promote bicycle and pedestrian safety programs, as well as support anti-driving under the influence campaigns on school campuses.

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the Board of Supervisors approved RUHS' request to accept a $269,000 grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the county health department's Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Program, along with a $340,000 NHTSA grant for its Child Passenger Safety Program, and a $347,000 NHTSA grant for RUHS' College Campuses Against Drunk & Drugged Driving Program.

All of the grant funding must be expended before the end of fiscal year 2025-26.

Officials wrote in documents posted to the board's agenda that the Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Program's goal is to educate and encourage "children, families and older adults to walk, bike and drive safely in order to avoid pedestrian and bicycle injuries and fatalities."

"Teens and young adults will be trained as traffic safety educators, giving them leadership opportunities while improving their awareness of pedestrian and bicycle-related hazards," according to the grant description.

The aim of the Child Passenger Safety program is to ensure "children are using car seats, booster seats and seatbelts correctly."

Law enforcement agencies countywide often host bilingual safety clinics that provide details on the proper means of securing children in car seats.

The College Campuses Against Drunk & Drugged Driving Program funding will go mainly toward "Be Wiser" campaigns established at both institutions of higher learning and grade schools, according to officials.

The campaigns enlist assistance from personnel at schools, along with parents and guardians, who are provided informational tools to reinforce "the dangers of alcohol, drug-impaired and distracted driving," according to an RUHS statement.

"These programs will benefit county residents in an effort to reduce the number of injuries or fatalities resulting from impaired or distracted driving (among) college students and teens," the agency stated.